Homeowners in Carlow and Kilkenny who’ve offered accomodation to Ukrainian refugees to be contacted from today

Locals who’ve offered their vacant properties to Ukrainian refugees are to start being contacted from this morning.

Over 20,000 people have pledged spare rooms or whole properties to those fleeing the Russian invasion with a number of them from Carlow and Kilkenny.

Of those, 4,000 have registered fully vacant homes.

The Irish Red Cross and the Defence Forces will begin phoning them today to arrange for someone to assess the suitability of the homes.

Liam O’Dwyer, Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross explains how the process will work:

“The Defence Forces will make the call and ask for permission for one of our colleagues from the Valuer’s Association, auctioneers and valuers to call to the house, to check out the house, to make certain that from a Health and safety point of view mainly, that the house is ready to receive a refugee family”